Jack Sanford, the BikeTexas art director, does a handstand in front of the Alamo before heading out on his bike with other cyclists who are attending the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Jack Sanford, the BikeTexas art director, does a handstand in front of the Alamo before heading out on his bike with other cyclists who are attending the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Photo: John Davenport/jdavenport@express-news.net

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Cyclists with a group of people from the National Conference of State Legislatures leave Mission Concepción. The ride started at the Alamo and headed south on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. Said freshman Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso: “I feel more incentivized to help the bicycling community in El Paso. Maybe even go out and buy a bike.”

Cyclists with a group of people from the National Conference of State Legislatures leave Mission Concepción. The ride started at the Alamo and headed south on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. Said

Cyclists attending a ride with the National Conference of State Legislatures head down the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Thursday, August 11, 2011. The group started at the Alamo and headed south towards Espada Dam. An Amtrak train (background) is sidetracked waiting for a freight train to pass.

Cyclists attending a ride with the National Conference of State Legislatures head down the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Thursday, August 11, 2011. The group started at the Alamo and headed south

Cyclists with a group of people from the National Conference of State Legislatures cross over the San Antonio River on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. The ride started at the Alamo and headed south on the river's Mission Reach.

Cyclists with a group of people from the National Conference of State Legislatures cross over the San Antonio River on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. The ride started at the Alamo and headed south on the river's

Cyclists with a group of people from the National Conference of State Legislatures pass tall grass on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. The group is in San Antonio for a convention.

Cyclists with a group of people from the National Conference of State Legislatures pass tall grass on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. The group is in San Antonio for a

Cyclist begin to congregate in front of the Alamo early Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. A group with the National Conference of State Legislatures rode bikes from the Alamo to the Mission Reach area of the San Antonio River.

Cyclist begin to congregate in front of the Alamo early Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. A group with the National Conference of State Legislatures rode bikes from the Alamo to the Mission Reach area of the San Antonio

The legislators were quick to gather Thursday for the predawn photo op before the Alamo, but their attention faded during the subsequent safety speech about not braking abruptly while riding a bike.

BikeTexas art director Jack Sanford saw an opportunity and quickly performed an awkward cartwheel to demonstrate the dangers of flying over the front handle bars.

With that bit of advice, 148 bicyclists from the National Conference of State Legislatures took off on the annual Bipartisan Bike Ride. They toured the missions and the new hike-and-bike trails along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River.

“We want them to remember the feeling of what it is like to be a kid, how much fun it is to ride a bike and see that it can also be transportation,” Sanford said.

The NCSL brings together state legislators and staff from across the country and some provincial representatives from around the world to discuss and learn ways to govern.

For the past seven years, Texas Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has asked BikeTexas to host a bike ride during the conference.

“What it does is start a dialogue about complete streets, safe passing and safe routes to school,” he said just before the ride, acknowledging the tour is an ideal time to lobby fellow lawmakers. “We work them.”

After three days of back-to-back meetings in hotel conference rooms, the bicyclists were happy to get outside.

“I have to say I like it a whole lot more now that I have seen it from this perspective,” said Rachel Weiss, who works on nonpartisan issues for Montana. For David Abbey, director of the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, the ride was a chance to ask questions about everything from the glass-blowing Franciscan monks at Mission Espada to the archaeologist doing a dig along the river. What he said he liked most was getting a feel for the different neighborhoods.

For Cher-Jean Wang-Lee, a legislator from Taiwan, the biggest thing to learn at the conference was how to improve transparency in government spending. The bike ride was just plain fun.

“It feels good,” she said. “I will share this experience.”

Even freshman Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso, was smiling after the ride.

Two miles into the tour she crashed into a curb in King William and was tossed to the ground. By mile 12 she was all cheerful and hesitant to give up her ride.

“I feel more incentivized to help the bicycling community in El Paso,” she said. “Maybe even go out and buy a bike.”